Sabbanath - Book 1 of The Elements of Destiny

Chapter 1

Val wondered if there were any worse ways to die. For three weeks he had been unable to leave his cabin as the ship that was transporting them to the New Land had lurched, creaked, crawled and lumbered over and sometimes it seemed through the waves. At least death was an end. This feeling would stay with him forever. There was a porcelain bowl next to his bed that Thomas had been good enough to leave for him but despite Val's nausea the bowl stood empty as there was nothing more for him to give. He lay weakly, feeling the pasty clamminess of his skin as he moved his hand for a wooden cup of water by his bedside. He gently, and carefully, brushed the water against his lips. He couldn't drink any. His stomach wouldn't allow it. His lips moistened, he returned the cup to its stand. Closing his eyes, he began reciting the poems of Jayd Lorning. It was the only thing he could focus on, the only thing keeping him sane. Just then the door to the small cabin opened. The sound of the sea, a sound he had once found relaxing and now associated with terrible horrors, flooded the room. Val heard footsteps enter the room followed by the closing of the door which muffled the sound. He was thankful for that at least. Val didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was. Thomas was the only one he knew on the ship and the only one who would be bothered to check on him. Then again, he thought, it could be an opportunist come to slit his throat and steal whatever valuables he possessed. As the ship rolled at that precise moment Val couldn't quite make himself care if it was.

"Thought you might like to see this" said a familiar voice

"See? Does that entail me having to open my eyes?" replied Val "for if it does I will have to politely refuse as to do so would mean me having to accept my present reality." There was a pause where neither spoke but Val could hear Thomas moving. It was then that Val felt something tickle his nose. Alarmed he sat up instinctively which was of course the worst thing he could do as it had forced him to open his eyes. The sudden motion against gravity sent black spots dancing at the edges of his vision as dizziness and more nausea consumed him. Blindly he reached out for his bowl and was relieved when it was presented into his hands. Empty reaching racked his body as he slumped over his bowl.

"Sorry" said Thomas, genuine concern in his voice, "I shouldn't have done that but I wanted to surprise you."

It was nearly a week since Val had kept down the last vestige of anything resembling food and he didn't have the strength to rebuke Thomas. There was only acceptance of what was now. Again, he felt the tickling feeling but this time on his hand. Opening one eye he saw a feather laid on his hand. A seagull's feather if he was not mistaken. Hope sprung in Val's heart but he suppressed it quickly. Disappointment now could kill him.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" he managed finally.

"It sure does'' replied Thomas cheerfully "I could have just told you what I saw but after what you have been through, I thought you would appreciate a more substantive truth."

Val felt something terrible happening to his face and it took him some time to realise that he was trying to smile. The best he could do was to pat his hand on his friend's knee. He lay back down on the bunk and immediately wanted out of it. Suddenly the dank smell of sweat and vomit was obvious and repulsive to him where just a few minutes ago it had not bothered him.

"Help me up'' There was silence and Val thought Thomas must not have heard him. "Help..."

"I heard you'' said Thomas "Are you sure you are up to it?"

"I have lain in this coffin for too long. It is time for me to return to the living. Be a good man and help me up, will you?" It took them a while and several stops for Val to find his balance and to get the blood flowing in his joints again but eventually they were on the deck. Soon Val was ensconced on a roll of rope looking out over the side of the ship at the vague form of what seemed to be mountains through the haze on the horizon.

"Captain says we should be ashore by midday" offered Thomas. Val didn't respond. The vision held his eyes as if he was afraid if he looked away it would disappear, the mirage of a desperate man. However, all around him there were signs that it was true. The crew of the "Prince Dagobert" was a hive of activity. All around, sailors ran completing duties while others walked amongst them shouting orders. Val wondered at the obvious cohesion between them amongst what he perceived as chaos. It seemed that the men giving orders were not really needed. Everyone knew what to do and when. As if reading his thoughts, a burly shaven headed man with arms as big as Val's legs turned to stare in his direction and then stomped across the deck to smack on the head one sailor who had stopped to chat with a passing crewman.

"Move it, you worthless sea scum! If you want to stop to chat, I can find some fish for you overboard who will talk with you till the flesh falls off your wretched bones." The chastened sailor didn't hang around to find out if his accuser had anything more to say and disappeared into the throng before him. The big man again turned to look in Val's direction, standing his ground before he was swallowed up by all the activity around him.

"Tell me again why we are doing this?" asked Val, trying to divert his thoughts. That man had not been staring at him. Had he?

Thomas laughed "You are asking me that question...now, when we are close to our destination...after me being the one asking you all along? Has the sea taken your nerve?"

"Humour me." Replied Val absently

Thomas straightened himself as he stood next to Val, puffing his chest out "For King and Country of course, for fortune and fame!" When Val didn't answer or appreciate his improvisation but stared absently at the sailors working around them Thomas returned to his slouched position against one of the gun ports. Why were they here indeed? The mission was clear, travel to the new world and document all that they observed, prepare for the King a report on the identity of this land that had been discovered 30 years ago but still held so many unanswered questions. It was a task and a chance of a lifetime for a man such as Thomas. He was 35 years old now and travelling to remote parts of Kiryn, the land from where he had been born, and studying the way of life of the people who lived in these places had been his passion for the last 15 years. Writing had been incidental to his travels but had proved a necessary aid to allow him to continue doing what he loved. His papers had generated interest and debate within academic circles but more importantly had led to investment. This would be his biggest challenge to date and also his biggest payday, important as that was he knew he would have done it for free if it had come to it. He found his gaze resting on the land before them.

"Remember when we first met," Thomas finally ventured, "you said any job worth doing is a job worth doing well."

"Look" answered Val defensively "I thought we had settled on that. I was just offering my honest opinion on what you had written..."

Thomas raised a hand to forestall him "Yes, Yes I know...! That statement has stayed with me and is probably as good a reason as any of why I am here today.

Val chuckled weakly. Thomas could see that already a bit of colour was returning to his cheeks "To do any job it assumes that one knows where to begin. Do you know where to begin this one?"

Thomas searched in his inside coat pocket and brought out his copy of the only map that had ever been made of this New Land, a land that had yet to even receive a proper name. Everyone just knew it as that...The New Land. He studied the wax print in front of him that was already worn and creased from use. There had not been many things on board to distract him throughout the voyage and this map had taken his mind away from the roll and sway of the ship. Taken it to imagined visions of what he might see and whom he might meet. He was already eager to get a look at the indigenous people the first settlers had called Noids. The map showed the coastline as far as ships had so far safely sailed and also the location of early settlements and geographic landmarks of significance.

"We will begin" Thomas answered "in Sabbanath"